After
by brittaden
Summary: After finding out that Sue was seeing someone, after getting the door slammed in his face, and after trashing the one-of-a-kind snowglobe, Sean pulls a impulsive and non-Donahue move. AU oneshot.


**Disclaimer: I don't own the Middle or any of the characters.**

 **I usually write fanfiction for just one TV show and never really branched out but consider this me going out on a limb and write a very brief one-shot about The Middle because I was heartbroken over Sean being there for Sue once again and wanting to open up about his feelings but not getting that opportunity. Consider this a fix-it oneshot**.

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The slamming of the door in his face was his cue to leave.

Sean stared at the gift bag in his hand, scrawled with the message to his Susie Q, before he made the decision to turn away from the door and leave. After all, he was a Donahue and Donahue's always did the right thing. Which meant if Sue was seeing someone else, he had no right to barge into her apartment declare his feelings for her as he handed over the snow-globe he had spent hours searching for because it needed to be perfect. Even if that is what he wanted to do. It had been weighing on him for a while now, but according to Axl, Sue was with someone else, and he would just have to get on with his life.

The snow-globe was dumped into the trash can in the hallway before the bag followed suit after he crumpled it up.

He was a Donahue. He would be fine. He would be going off to med school soon anyways and that would keep him busy so this really was for the best. Really. At least that's what he kept telling himself as he made his way to the lobby of his Susie Q's apartment building and out into the night.

His Susie Q. She really wasn't his Susie Q anymore. She never really was. She was his best friend's kid sister. It was hard to tell when the feelings actually started. Maybe they had been there for sometime, just brimming below the surface while he grew close to the Heck family over the years. While he watched as Sue transformed from an incredibly dorky teenager that he only thought of as his best friend's kid sister into a still awkward yet caring and hardworking young woman. In his opinion, not many people treated Sue like the special snowflake that she was.

The night air was a cool breeze and for just a moment he allowed himself to imagine walking down this sidewalk with Sue who would mention she was getting cold and he could play the caring boyfriend as he draped his jacket around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. But that was just a figment of his imagination.

He was a Donahue. And they always did the right thing. After all, he had been a great student, hardly ever got into any trouble, had opportunities lined up, and was now set to go off to med school in a few months. Every parent's dream really. Even if it meant missing out on something because he didn't want to ruffle any feathers. But maybe that was his lot in life as a Donahue. Plus if Sue was seeing someone, it wouldn't be fair to put her in that position by telling her how he felt.

But he was tired of being a Donahue, tired of always doing the right thing, tired of not speaking up because he was trying not to ruffle any feathers. He wanted to tell his Susie Q how he felt, even if it meant getting rejected. Even if it meant her telling him that she was already seeing someone, something he had already been told. At least she would know. And maybe, just maybe, there was something there too. His mom did mention something about a winnebago rushing down their street and how Sue popped out of it all dolled up. But that didn't have to mean anything.

And then, as if on autopilot, his decision had been made as he sprinted back to her apartment building, through the lobby, and back to her apartment door.

There was zero thought behind this decision. It was impulsive. It was probably crazy. It was not a Donahue thing to do. He wasn't even sure what he was going to do. But he raised his hand up and knocked against the wooden door.

A sense of relief washed over him as his Susie Q answered the door. He carefully studied her face as she went from shocked to genuinely happy to see him in just a matter of seconds.

Before he could talk himself out of it, he cradled her head in his hands as he brought his lips down to meet hers. It was shy and hesitant, just a kiss to test the waters, and not at all what he had meant to do by coming to her apartment door for the second time. He just wanted to tell her how he felt. But as she started to kiss back, still a bit hesitant, he didn't regret the impulsiveness one bit.

They would worry about the repercussions later. After all Sue was apparently spoken for and then there was the matter of Axl finding out, and while Sean thought of him as one of his best friends, he couldn't be sure of how he would react. But that was a problem for later. Because right now was a fleeting moment and he wasn't going to miss a second of it.

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 **This was written in a total of maybe thirty minutes but I like it as is.**

 **Reviews are appreciated.**


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